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www.aucklandnow.co.nz
Friday, December 16, 2011
Celebrate the buzz
Merry Christmas: Mayor Len Brown says 2011 was a big one for Auckland -- but you ain't see nothing yet!
Photo: BEN WATSON
MESSAGE FROM
THE MAYOR
WHAT a year it s been for
Auckland.
We hosted more than a
hundred thousand interna-
tional visitors for the Rugby
World Cup and made them
feel truly welcome as we
showcased our spectacular
city.
We stood together with our
brothers and sisters in
Christchurch, opening our
hearts and our homes to them
and sending our love and
practical assistance in the
wake of the earthquakes.
And we continue to forge
one Auckland, working on the
Auckland Plan -- our blue-
print for the future -- while
developing our diverse com-
munities and their wonderful
different flavours.
My job takes me all over
Auckland each week. There
has been a buzz here this
year, and it keeps growing.
Aucklanders and visitors
alike are revelling in our new
spaces -- the wonderful Wyn-
yard Quarter, Auckland Zoo s
Te Wao Nui, the redeveloped
Auckland Art Gallery and our
pedestrian-friendly shared
spaces in the city and New
Lynn.
Our communities are
involved in exciting projects,
from new libraries and sports
facilities to new cycle paths
and reserves. Our businesses
and educational institutions
are driving innovation for-
ward as we develop a
stronger, smarter Auckland
economy.
Innovation is important to
me, as is prudence. Working
smarter with our money, and
getting more value out of our
investment is something I am
committed to. We ve found
$81 million worth of savings,
and held rates increases to
3.9 percent. We ve negotiated
a deal to get 57 new modern
electric trains, 50 percent
more than originally pro-
posed, at no extra cost to the
ratepayer.
I went on a fact-finding trip
to China with transport
engineers to look at inno-
vations in tunnelling tech-
nology which could save
Auckland millions of dollars
on major infrastructure
projects.
Next year is going to be big.
We will move beyond plan-
ning to doing.
We ll finalise the single
rating system the govern-
ment requires, so properties
of equal value will be rated
the same across the region.
We ll continue to find
efficiencies across our oper-
ations, as we weave eight leg-
acy systems into a single
more fair and efficient way of
doing things. And we ll keep
on investing in our communi-
ties, so local identities con-
tinue to develop and thrive.
We ll secure the desig-
nations for the biggest
transformational project for
Auckland, the City Rail Link,
and explore funding options
for completing it. The rail
link and our new electric
trains will unlock Auckland s
entire rail network, unclog-
ging our roads.
Thank you all who shared
your thoughts with us this
year, on our draft plans, via
our People s Panel, our ser-
vice centres or our Facebook
pages.
Your opinions on Auck-
land s future are invaluable.
Keep them coming.
We re well on our way to
becoming the world s most
liveable city.
The buzz keeps growing --
get out there and soak it up
this summer. Our beaches
and parks are incomparable,
and there is a great calendar
of events.
My family and I are looking
forward to summer in Auck-
land. We ll spend some time
on Waiheke Island, and walk
some of the superb trails in
this region.
I wish you and your famil-
ies a Merry Christmas, a
happy, healthy and safe sum-
mer in the sun and the sea,
and I wish you and our Auck-
land all the best for 2012.
-- Len Brown